The term "best friend" is officially gone. No more of "she's my best friend" or "they're my best friends" thing. Because no one is a BEST friend. They all seem to leave one way or another. And best friends don't leave each other. So goodbye "best friends". Everyone now is just considered as "friends"

So, like how the title suggests, day 1 of senior TC 2012 just finished. Im just gonna keep this post as short as i can. Not planning on going into too much detail about today.

To be honest, i had a lot of expectations for this year's TC. I was super duper hyped up about it since january. Seeing all the posts on the facebook group, seeing videos, seeing the shirts and all the great things on that group... TC was the only thing i was looking forward to. The past two years that i've been going to TC, i had amazing teams. Not only were they fun to be around and talk to, the love they have for God was unbelievable. The people on my team last year were so inspirational. I guess maybe because the last two years of TC for me was amazing, i had high expectations for this year to be equally if not more amazing than last year's. But clearly, after today, that wasn't the case. I love my team, theyre fun to be around.. But i just didnt think their hearts were fully there at TC. Falling asleep not only when the speaker was speaking, but falling asleep when our captains were sharing their testimonies which i thought were so good, and not even wanting to sing praises to Him. Who deserves our worship. It's ironic how my team were doing some sharing today, and we were talking about having no expectations for this year's TC because it's just gonna lead to greater disappointments like always and to just leave it to God. It's true that i didnt feel God's presence during the last session of the day, but i guess this whole time i just expected alot from people, and forgot that maybe some are still trying to know God, and to find Him. Tomorrow's a new day, a new beginning, a new start.. Im not gonna have any expectations and just let God do what He sees fit. Only Gof knows whats best.

Today during prayer meeting, i was in a group with MQ & Rebekah. Asking each other how our weeks went, i shared with them about my religion class. They asked me how i feel when we talk about Christianity in class. I told them a story how during class one day, a girl said Jesus sinned in the Bible, and that we shouldn't follow Him. Obviously i was angry when i heard that, and also the fact that she said these things when she didn't even get the story correct. Being angry isn't a sin, and what Jesus did.. flipping over tables definitely wasn't sinning. Because the people selling products in God's temple was a sin, and Jesus had every right to be angry at that.

While we were praying one by one, i couldn't help but have the words MQ prayed about stick in my head. She prayed and asked God to give me courage in religion class. Courage to stand up for God. Courage to speak up to glorify Him. This stuck with me because now that i think about it, all i did was listen to people talk badly about God. And as a Christian, i shouldn't do that.. EVER. I have to speak up for God. I have to glorify Him, and let the world know the Truth, even if it may just be in my religion class. This world is getting darker and darker each day, and we need to spread the word of God.

i hate not knowing what to say to a friend when they need help with something cause i'm so inexperienced in something. I feel useless T____T

Going to thinkfast for the first time, i really didn't know what to expect. From the videos i've seen from the past years, i thought thinkfast was so amazing & everyone was so hyped up about it which was so good to see! And this year, thinkfast was pretty good :) I was on the Zambia team, and i was so scared i wouldn't know anyone on my team! But thank goodness for Lianne :') and matthew & anna were both on my team too! LOL, my team was pretty dead. :\ We honestly were the quietest team out of all the teams tonight. oh well LOL.

So, we go to our first workshop, and we had to build little shelters with the money we were given. Some groups had alot alot of money, while some had like, no money at all. And my group... we had no money at all. LOL the supplies we had to buy cost way more than what we could afford. LOL /sad life. But, the fact we had little to no money to use allowed us to be creative and efficient with what we had, and made the best out of it. With only 10 minutes to make our shelters, we spent a good 7 minutes thinking of what to buy, and how to construct it. In the end, this was what our shelter looked like:

for a group that had absolutely no money to buy any of the supplies, IM PROUD OF OUR SHELTER.

Then we went to our second workshop, which was meditation in the chapel with Maria. can i just say that i wanted to just stay in the chapel after our meditation and never leave? yeah, it was sooooo relaxing! i almost fell asleep during the meditation. :$ but some guy legit fell asleep and was snoring too. LOOOOL. but yes, super relaxing workshop!

Going to our third workshop, we had to walk ALL the way to the third floor -.- LOL, our whole team was sooo dead and tired! After coming out from a meditation and then having to mission to the third floor.. WORST. LOL. We learned a bit about nicaragua and what the people who went there learned. While listening to what they had to say about their trip, i honestly felt so grateful for everything that we have in Canada. We're considered mad rich compared to other countries in the world. We always take things for granted, and this just allows us to open up our eyes more. I really wanna go to nicaragua next year!

Our 4th workshop, was about plastic water bottle. I already saw the video they showed last year at the development and peace conference, and all that, so it was like my 5th time watching the same video. LOL We had some time to make our own farm, and draw it out. Lianne is such a good drawer! oh my goodness! haha. i didn't even help at all cause... i cant draw and i'd be useless anyways, so i just sat there and watched them draw LOL. yeah.. nothing much with this workshop.

Finally, the last workshop! oh my goodness, i wanted to die. It was a reality race and we had to run ALL OVER THE SCHOOL! all 3 floors, i wanted to die honestly. x_x" my team didn't even work well together which made me so mad. We were legit last place HAHA. we arrived at each station like 5 mins after everybody if not longer.. aint even mad doe. At the beginning, one of the leadership people messed up so we didnt even get our clue that we needed to advance to the next station -.- & then after going to the second station, we couldn't find the third one AT ALL. we ran from the first floor to the second floor, back to the first, then all the way to the third OH MY GOODNESS. i was huffing and puffing. LOOOOL, lianne & i just gave up, and walked the way there.. we were in last place anyways, who cares LOOL. But yeah, it was just sooo tiringgg.

It was then FINALLY time for food! ONOMNOMNOMNOM soooo yummmmy! pasta + bread + juice <3 gosh, gioia, how i miss having hospitality class and eating your food!! his pasta was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! it was nice seeing him too :) happy he remembered me and said hi :D YAYAY! but yeah, food was so amazing! so sad i couldn't even finish it, :( I ate like, only half the plate.. AND IT WAS PASTA! GASP :O LOLL.

Overall, good day, good experience :) THINKfast is like a reminder to us to appreciate all that we have, and how fortunate and blessed we are compared to some people in the world.